All Routes lead to Commenor

[Jasmine Zittoun]

Jasmine had fallen asleep on the long journey from Jamoura, reading up on her contact, Queen [member="Lady Kay"] of the Commenor Systems Alliance. She had come here to create a trade deal between CSA and the planet of Jamoura, the freedom to do this a benefit of being apart of a mercantile focused government. Jasmine had spent the entire flight on her personal yacht in her bedroom, trying to find as much information as possible on who she was going to meet. So far, from holonet articles and public files, Jasmine had learned that the Queen had a very accomplished life, from being a high ranking member of one the largest weapons companies in the galaxy, to a senator in the Republic, and eventual president, then queen, of her planet. Since then she had formed the CSA to both protect her own planet and those around it though an alliance of mutual help. What accomplishments, and she had done it by the age of thirty nine! Sure Jasmine had accomplished leadership of her home moon by thirty two, but it had mostly been out of bribes, nepotism, and cheating, and from what Jasmine could tell, Kay had achieved all that with a clean nose. Although this made Jasmine a bit wary of what Kay could have hidden in her closet, she had pulled her mind back to the important task at hand, forging a trade deal and good relations between that of her own moon and the Commenor Systems Alliance. Thats when she had fallen asleep.

She was rudely awoken to the PA system playing a pre-recorded message, monotone in voice, "Exit from Hyperspace is imminent. All passengers prepare for landing." Jasmine slowly awoke, then shot up when she realized what that meant. Her hair was frizzled everywhere, and she was wearing one of her many nightgowns. Jasmine's bed was covered in wrappers, datapads, cans, food crumbs, and other trash from lack of effort of cleaning up after her self, confident her droid servants would clean after her mess. Quickly she showered in the refresher and changed clothes. After a quick visit from one of her droids who specialized in Jasmine's make up, and her appearance in general, she was prepared to meet the queen. When they landed, she was shuffled into a shuttle she had arranged from the Chasin City spaceport. As she watched the buildings pass by, she kept repeating the details of the trade deal, and checking for her materials. Jasmine checked her dress, an older one that fit rather tightly on her large frame. As the shuttle stopped, she took a deep breath before stepping out, hopefully things would go well.

 

[Kay-Larr]

As [member="Jasmine Zittoun "]'s shuttle arrived to the Palace, they were greeted by Olivia and a handful of security personnel waiting just outside the entrance. Olivia stood with her hands clasped in front of her, putting on a bit of a smile. She may look tough, but she had a gentleness to her that Kay just loved. The security guards wore their uniforms pressed and polished in the Commenori colours of grey and pale blue. They were almost Imperial in the nature of their uniforms, but Kay figured that they should only be made to wear armour if they were at war, which of course they weren't.

"Welcome to Commenor. My name is Olivia Herra, the Queen's secretary. If you'll follow me please, I'll take you to her office." The lady half turned and then gestured for Jasmine and any of her people to follow as she then completed her turn and headed to the main doors.

Inside it was a bustle of activity, with people walking too and fro down the hallways, some in deep conversations while others made their way to their destinations in silence.

Through the maze of halls, Jasmine, Olivia and the others were led to Kay's office. Three knocks were made on the door, before Olivia grasped the knob and turned it. The smell of Sapir Tea and a log fire was easily noticed as the door opened. "The Lady Jasmine Zittoun to see you, My Lady." Olivia stepped to the side of the door to let her walk in.

Kay looked up from her datapad with a cup of tea in hand. "Thank you Olivia." She bowed her head to her secretary and then turned her attention to her guest. "Welcome to Commenor. Please have a seat. Would you like some tea?"

 

[Jasmine Zittoun]

Jasmine plastered a fake smile for her introduction with Olivia, not seeing the need to impress the woman. Jasmine responded to Olivia in an assertive tone, "Good, the sooner we arrive, the better." She followed the guards alongside Olivia, with two droids in tow, a servant droid carrying a case carefully, in both hands, and an OOM-series Battledroid for protection. As they passed through the grand palace, Jasmine took in as much as possible, this is what she aspire to, this staple of wealth and power, she would remember this for a long time, a goal in her life. When Olivia stopped, she nearly collided into one of the guards, barely catching herself. Jasmine nodded towards Olivia, to express thanks she didn't mean, and entered.

Now Jasmine's expression calmed to a small curve of the lip, and she answered, "I would love some tea, your highness." Before she sat down, she snapped her finger and pointed towards the corner of the room. The OOM-series droid responded immediately, moving to teh spot she directed him to, and shut down. A little protocol she had programmed into him on one of her many days of leave. The servant droid remained active, and moved to her side, not requiring a protocol to do so. Now, Jasmine sat, setting a thin, clutch bag on her lap, awaiting the tea offered.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Ah, so [member="Jasmine Zittoun "]was -that- type, was she? Olivia just kept her thoughts to herself. There were various categories to which politicians fell into. Though it wasn't common for her type to approach. Still, politics wasn't meant for anyone to get personal about. And besides, she was just an old secretary. What did she know? Once Kay had bowed to her, Olivia took her leave, closing the door behind her.

Kay on the other hand raised a brow as the battle droid was commanded by a snap and pointed finger. She hadn't seen anyone do that before. But not everyone felt the same way that she did in regards to how to treat droids as well as other people. It was a valuable insight into her character though.

She had her tea set on her desk instead of the side table, this time. A spare cup was already on hand. Kay expertly poured the fresh cup and held it out for her servant droid to take. "Have you ever had Sapir tea? I find it rather soothing and warm. It's one of my favourites." After the cup was taken, she folded her hands on top of her desk. "So what can I do for you, Miss Zittoun?" Kay had her assumptions on why the lady was there, yet there were more than one. No doubt she'd discover which assumption was correct in a few moment's time.

 

[Jasmine Zittoun]

Jasmine graciously accepted the tea, and took a sip, enjoying the smooth texture. Setting it down to respond to [member="Lady Kay"]'s question,

"As you know, Jamoura, my home, is apart of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and although I do report to the Separatist council, I am as dedicated to leading my city to prosperity. Thanks to leniencies towards the leadership of planets and planetary objects within the Confederacy, I have the autonomy to create trade deals with other planets, governments, and organizations. I have come to Commenor to discuss just that, a trade deal. Amongst more minor technicalities, my main terms are a policy of open borders between our two governments concerning merchant vessels bearing the transponders of our states, lowered tariffs for vessels trading directly from my moon to your systems alliance, and inspections limited to spaceport customs."

Jasmine leaned in towards the queen as if sharing a piece of gossip,

"As opposed to those pesky random searches by military patrols during transit."

Jasmine relaxed back into her seat, taking another sip, "Now, these terms are completely open to negotiation, and even enhancement." Jasmine made a wide, but fleeting grin after that remark. She was testing the waters, to see if Kay was the type to engage in the kind of dishonest business Jasmine did so regularly. Kay might have had a clean record, but who knew, maybe she was just that good at hiding it.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded a little. She had come across members of the CIS before, usually business leaders. There was always a need for more contracts and the easier flow of goods. The space within CSA territory wasn't interrupted by war, so that meant that goods could travel to and fro much more safely. So it came as no surprise that [member="Jasmine Zittoun "]was one of those business leaders too.

She raised a brow at her requests or rather her opening terms for a trade agreement. It was a bit unusual, but Kay was well versed in her own strategy. She's laid it out to many before and will more than likely continue to do so in the future.

"Well those are certainly some terms. Firstly though, I must let you be aware that our rates for tariffs and taxes are equally given to all companies and governments outside of our borders. We don't play favourites among them and we don't expect others to treat our own goods any differently. As for your request to limit the inspections on your shipments, it makes me wonder what kinds of products it is that you plan on shipping?"

Kay had a hunch that they were going to be illegal in nature. That would be a real shame. She sipped her tea while she waited for the response.

 

[Jasmine Zittoun]

Jasmine was disappointed with the answer [member="Lady Kay"] gave in return. It seemed she was the clean little do-gooder her investigations had revealed. But her face flushed when the queen made questioning remarks about the last term in Jasmine's agreement. No matter how dishonest she truly was, in Jasmine believed otherwise, and made a point of it to do so. She softly yelled,

"That is-" but caught her self, and completed the sentence in a much calmer tone, "I never meant to imply that illegal or questionable goods would be transported into your territories, but with the establishment of Arcon Multinode Agricorp on Jamoura, we simply will be importing many food crops that can rot if not delivered timely. Those searches I spoke of limiting were only in the interest of bringing quality goods into your nation, and ensuring merchants do not lose their entire shipments due to excessive searches. If you do not wish to limit searches, I understand and will do my best to ensure traders and transport captains store their cargo to the highest standard." She said glowering, knowing how expensive such measures would be for her own profit margins.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow as [member="Jasmine Zittoun "]seemed to lose her cool for a brief moment. The brief yell gave her even further insight. The young lady was prone to losing her temper. That could be stress or from whatever upbringing that she had. Still, the two were perfect strangers so there was a good chance that her reaction was partly a defensive tactic as well.

Jasmine was quick to pull herself together though. Kay had another sip of her tea as she listened, savouring the flavour of her tea and how calming the Sapir tea leaves were. The lady had a point. Food crops were time sensitive. However, random searches were important. So she thought of a compromise. "All shipments of food should be sent in the highest standards. They are for consumption, afterall. But you are correct. Increasing their transport time gives risk to spoilage. So how about this...The random searches will remain until there comes a point in time when your shipments are deemed trustworthy. Only after that designation is received will the searches become less frequent. I expect nothing less from others interested in what my own people have to offer. My people are my care, so you must understand that I am only looking out for them."

 

[Jasmine Zittoun]

Jasmine listened intently to what the queen was saying, angry at herself, and at her failure to negotiate to her advantage, for what had happened. Once [member="Lady Kay"] finished, Jasmine nodded and replied,

"Yes, those are agreeable terms. Please forgive my outburst, the stresses of planetary leadership are wearing, as you must understand."

Jasmine stood up, tugged on her dress which had begun to ride up, and looked up at the queen, plastering on a fake smile as if happy with the agreed upon terms. She held out her hand to be shaken as a seal to the deal. Although they had not shaken yet, Jasmine spoke as if the deal had already been closed,

"I hope this agreement is one of many between our two great governments, and sincerely wish you the best, your majesty."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded as [member="Jasmine Zittoun "]asked for forgiveness for her outburst. The lady was young, so it wasn't uncommon. "It's quite alright. I won't let it bother me. However there are others that might take offence to it. So try to get that under control. That's my advice." Jasmine could either take it or leave it of course.

She got to her feet as Jasmine did, but a second or two later and freed up a hand to shake hers. The fake smile was noted as the look in her eyes spoke of something else. Still, Kay's returned smile was a genuine one. "Thank you. And I wish the same. Look after yourself. My secretary Olivia will show you your way out." Her eyes fell on the droids that came with her. No doubt they'd be leaving as well.